You And Me
by mood ink
Summary: Are some things really worth left unsaid? Read to find out.
1. How Does It Feel

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**Author's Note:** I'm trying my best to write a good story so please don't be meanies.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. All rights are reserved to Masashi Kishimoto. If I did own Naruto, I would have given more hints of a ShikaIno pairing and omitted any ShikaTema situations. Bwahaha!

_Thoughts_

"Dialogue**"**

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**_Chapter 1: How Does It Feel_  
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The steps creaked with each step she took. The creaking seemed louder to her only because that was the only sound that could be heard with the exception of the slight sound her sandals made with the wood; they were trained for stealth after all.

_"They really should put an elevator in this building."_

She finally reached the top of the stairs. A metal door was in front of her; it was slightly ajar so she silently pushed it open peering her eyes through the opening. He was there, lying on the roof with his hands behind his head. She thought about walking up to him and yelling at him for being so hard to find; she had been searching for him for the last half hour after all. But she changed her mind and decided to observe him for a while.

She'd never really gotten to observe him peacefully watching the clouds. She usually ran up to him and either immediately yelled at him or dragged him up to his feet. She had never really seen that peaceful look in his face as he did his favorite hobby so she thought of seeing it for once that day.

He looked at the sky drowsily and yet so intently. The clouds were nice that day and the sun wasn't too bright. It was the perfect day for cloud watching.

She slightly pushed the door open more to watch him causing the doors hinges to creak.

"Oi, Ino, I know you're there." He spoke out.

There was no more point in her hiding anymore now so she pushed the door open fully and walked up to him a slight smile on her face. She looked down at him her body slightly bent downwards.

"What is it?" he drawled, looking up at her as he lay in the same position.

She clunked him on the head yelling, "I've been looking for you for the past half hour! Do you have any idea how huge this building is!? Chouji and I came to invite you to have dinner with us tonight and we find out that you hadn't returned since your coffee break!"

"OW! All right, all right, sorry. What was that thing about dinner again?" he asked as he rubbed his head hoping a lump wouldn't form from the hit she gave him.

"Like I said, Chouji wanted the three of us to have dinner tonight at Yakiniku Q. It's been a while since we last ate together after all. Also, he wants to tell us something." She said with her hands on her hips.

"Tch, fine. What time?"

"Around 7, is that okay?"

"Yeah, whatever." He said lying back down on the roof and looking back up at the clouds.

Silence

"Hey, Shikamaru." She silently spoke out as she also looked up at the sky.

"Hmm?"

"You're a genius, right?"

"…"

"So…I guess you should know, right?"

"Know what?"

"How does it feel like to be in love?"

"Eh? Why all this all of a sudden?" he looked up at her with a confused look on his face.

"I… I've always wondered… how it feels like."

"Troublesome." He mumbled under his breath.

"You didn't answer my question, Shikamaru!" she glared at him.

He stood up and began walking towards the door.

"Shikamaru!" She yelled at him, stomping her right foot in irritation. "Where do you think you're going!?"

"I've got work to do." He said without looking back at her.

She went after him, yelling at him to answer her question but he didn't. It wasn't because he was busy nor because he found it too troublesome to answer her but it was because that he didn't know the answer to her question. That's right, Nara Shikamaru, a genius with 200+ IQ, didn't know the answer to Yamanaka Ino's "simple and innocent" question simply because he too didn't know how it felt to be in love.

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Thanks for reading!

Please tell me what you think! Should I update it or not?

Don't forget to review! Thankies! )

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	2. Stars

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**Author's Note:** This chappie is longer than the previous so I hope you won't get bored reading this.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto though I really wish that I did.

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_**  
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_**Chapter 2: Stars**_

It was already a few minutes past seven and he knew that Ino was not going to be happy. He sighed as he walked down the turning-silent streets of Konohagakure. The night was cold and even though his uniform consisted of a long sleeved black shirt and his chuunin vest, he could still feel the crisp night breeze against his skin. There weren't much people out on the street except for a few couples here and there. They looked pretty much about his age if not slightly older. It was awkward for him seeing he was the only one without a partner causing him to suddenly remember Ino's question earlier that day.

'_Hmph. As if these people really loved each other. They're just probably together for the sake of having a boyfriend or a girlfriend.'_ He thought

He turned the corner to the street where Yakiniku Q was and just a few moments later reached the entrance. He saw his teammates from the window; Ino looked pretty upset probably because he was late and Chouji was clearing out the food off the grill. After mumbling his signature phrase, he entered the restaurant and headed for their table. He took a seat across Ino, beside Chouji.

"You're late!" she snapped.

"Had a lot of work to do." He explained.

"As if you even work! You're always watching clouds! …" She rambled on and on about how lazy he was to even work as Shikamaru ordered a bowl of rice and began to eat; picking some well-cooked barbecue off the grill. He was hungry. He really did have lots of work to do after all thanks to the Godaime who wanted to make full use of his genius mind. As he kept on thinking about the things which he had left unfinished, he barely noticed that Ino had stopped yelling and was silent for a while. He glanced at her and knew she was still upset from the way her eyebrows were knitted together.

_Troublesome._ "All right, I'm sorry for being late."

"Whatever." She answered. "Anyway, Chouji, now that Shikamaru's here what was that thing you wanted to tell us about?"

Chouji swallowed a mouthful of food before answering. "Well, I'll be on a mission with my parents for about a month or so. I wanted our team to enjoy ourselves before I left."

"A month or so? That must be some mission Chouji!" Ino commented.

"When are you leaving?" Shikamaru asked.

"Early tomorrow morning." Chouji replied while gobbling down some more food.

The night went on with some more talk and scolding thanks to Ino. About a quarter before 9, Chouji excused himself to head home saying he still had to finish preparing his stuff. Shikamaru and Ino on the other hand left the restaurant about half an hour later. Ino rambled on about her missions while Shikamaru, who was too tired to speak, merely nodded and added a grunt here and there. They then got to the topic about Ino's last mission which was with Sai and the others.

"Sai… He really does remind me of Sasuke." Ino said while Shikamaru answered with a grunt.

"Three years. It's been a while… since Sasuke left." She added quietly.

**Silence**

They reached the intersection where they were to go their separate ways. Shikamaru waved goodbye and had started to walk towards the direction opposite where Ino was supposed to be headed when Ino suddenly spoke up.

"Ne, Shikamaru."

"Hn?" Shikamaru looked back at his blonde friend who was looking at him.

"You wanna watch the stars with me?" she said with a smile.

He thought about it and decided that he didn't want her to be any madder at him than she already was. "Tch. Troublesome. Whatever." He replied as he walked back towards her.

"Let's go!" she grabbed his hand and dragged him down the road which was neither the way to her house nor his nor where they came from. They went past the training grounds, up a small hill, past a few trees and arrived at a small clearing. This was where Shikamaru used to usually watch the clouds before he became a chuunin though he did go there every once in a while when he wasn't too busy. He wasn't surprised that she had taken him there. She knew that that was 'his spot' after all. Her title as his 'best friend' wasn't for nothing.

She let go of his hand and walked over to look at the village, they had a good view of it from there. He went to her side and flopped on the grass. He lay down on the cool grass hands behind his head. She soon followed suit. The stars were out and the sky was clear, a perfect night for stargazing. She began pointing out the constellations, drawing invisible connections with her pale finger as if she were connecting dots. He on the other hand looked at each constellation she referred to. She knew of them well, he knew. This was her favorite hobby after all. His title as her 'best friend' was not for nothing either. After a while, Ino had grown tired of pointing them out so she decided to watch them in silence. He closed his eyes and felt a slight breeze blow over him. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes when he heard some slight snoring beside him. She had fallen asleep.

_Troublesome._ He thought as he gently shook her to wake her.

"Oi, Ino." No response. He shook her harder.

"Oi!" he said a bit louder; still no response.

_Troublesome._ He thought again.

He sat up and looked at her thinking on what was the best course of action. He looked at the stars then back at her and sighed. He gently picked her up and arranged to carry her home via piggyback. She was pretty light; he had grown used to her lightness. He always did hold her whenever she performed her jutsu. Her warm breath tingled his neck and he was kind of thankful cause it was a pretty cold night. He looked up at the stars as he headed for her house and realized how it felt so… right; to be with her, to take care of her, to carry her home when she fell asleep watching the stars. He smirked to himself when he realized what he had just thought cause he knew; he knew all too well, that those were such foolish thoughts. It couldn't be, it just couldn't, he couldn't like her -- he doesn't! Or does he?

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I'll try to update as soon as I can but I'm totally busy with my studies so maybe around next week or the week after. Sorry!

Don't forget to leave a review! Thankies! )


	3. Sunrise

**Author's Note**: Sorry if I took long to update. I suffered from writer's block. Anyway, here it is, the third chapter.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does. Blah blah blah blah blah

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_**Chapter 3: Sunrise**_

It was his day off; a day to rest and relax, a day to do whatever he wanted to do like watch clouds for example and that was exactly what he was doing. It was another perfect day for cloud watching and nothing was going to disturb him from doing so, even the blonde-haired girl who was walking up the hill towards him.

"Shikamaru!" she called out to him cheerfully but he just laid there not even bothering to look at her. When she got to his side, she bent down, her hands on her knees.

"Hey" she said with that bright smile of hers.

"Hey" he replied with that lazy drawl of his. "What do you want?" he continued, still staring at the white puffs that were drifting up above them.

"…Uhm, I just wanted to say… s-sorry…for having fallen asleep on you last night and…" she trailed off as she stood up straight. Shikamaru looked at her this time while she continued, looking Shikamaru in the eye and still with that smile "thanks… for taking me home."

He closed his eyes and smirked. His mind said _Whoa! Did she just apologize and thank me?_While answering her, "Tch. Well, it's okay and… you're welcome."

He then heard her taking a seat beside him so he scooted slightly over to the other side giving her some more space.

"It's your day off right?" she asked.

"…Yeah."

Then came silence. Shikamaru looked at the girl beside him and was rather pleased to see that she was in her _silent mode_, a mode that rarely came to be. She was twirling a little flower between her fingers with her long silky hair cascading down her right shoulder. The light breeze blew away her long bangs making him able to see more of her face. The bright sunlight gave her a radiant look and Shikamaru thought she looked so… beautiful. A slight blush crept into his cheeks when he realized what he had just thought and he just had to look away before she realized that he was actually staring at her. A few moments passed before someone came running up the hill calling them. It was Sakura. When the pink-haired girl had finally reached them, she explained that Tsunade was asking for them. Shikamaru mumbled his signature word as he stood up dusting his pants. He offered a hand to Ino, who in turn accepted it. The three then headed for the Godaime's office.

They were given a mission, just the two of them. They were tasked to deliver a very important package from the Godaime to the Kazekage and wait for the Kazekage's reply to the delivery. Sure, they could get a delivery ninja but the package was way too valuable. Also it was too bothersome to get a delivery ninja to wait for the Kazekage's reply that was going to take a few days. Tsunade asked them to report to the gates early the next day for the mission.

Early the next day or rather at dawn the next day, Ino ran down the still empty streets of Konohagakure. She tried not to make too much noise as she rushed to the gates since she knew that most of the residents were still asleep. As she turned the corner, right ahead of her was Shikamaru. She was about to call out to him when she remembered that it was still three in the morning and that most people preferred to remain asleep during that hour. So she did her best to silently catch up to him. She was only a few feet from him when he turned around with a scowl on his face.

"What? Are you trying to sneak up on me?" he questioned.

WHACK!

"And WHY would I do THAT?" she answered, slightly annoyed. "I was only trying to CATCH UP with you!"

Shikamaru rubbed his head where she had just hit him and grumbled "Troublesome." They then proceeded to heading towards the village gates. They both walked in silence; surprisingly because Ino couldn't find anything to talk about with Shikamaru at that moment. Besides, she also enjoyed the calm silence of dawn.

As they both walked down those silent streets, Ino glanced up at Shikamaru and thought, '_If people ever saw us like this, they'd think we were a couple!'_She neatly tucked a lock of platinum blonde hair behind her left ear as she continued her thoughts, '_But then… it's not at all horrible. In fact, it's not bad at all; Shikamaru and I. Truth be told, it kind of feels right.'_She shook away the thoughts, _'No way! Did I just think that? That I'm actually considering Shikamaru as… well… a possible lover? NO WAY!"_Just as she mentally slapped herself, they arrived at the gates of Konoha where Shizune was waiting for them, the package in her hands.

After giving them a few last minute instructions from Tsunade, they set off for Suna. The trip was going to last for around three days max, which was why they had set off that early. About an hour or so later, the sun began to rise so they decided to take a break and have an early breakfast. They slowed down to a walk and searched for a place to rest and eat. They found a small clearing and stopped there. Ino walked over to huge rock and sat on it while Shikamaru walked over to the spot across her.

They hastily ate their breakfast and as Ino was putting away her canteen, Shikamaru spoke up, "Look." referring to the sunrise. She turned to look at the sunrise. It filled the sky with vibrant colors and the clouds reflected them. She smiled and looked back at Shikamaru.

And it was then that she thought the sunrise was at its most beautiful. Shikamaru was still looking at the sunrise with that kind of glazed look of his and the colors of the rising sun played upon his features. His tanned skin looked like bronze and his dark eyes looked so determined and steadfast as they reflected the light. To her, he looked surprisingly… handsome.

She felt her cheeks burn with a bright red blush and looked away thankful that people don't melt when they are being stared at 'cause if they did Shikamaru would have noticed that she had been staring at him for more than a minute or so.

_I can't believe that I'm thinking this way about my best friend!_She thought. _But then again… he's always been there for me. Though I know I can be such a bother to him, he has never left me especially when I needed him._

That was when Shikamaru looked at her and seeing the blush on her cheeks walked up to her and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" she answered without looking at him.

"Sure? You look red. Do you have a fever or something?" he asked, placing a hand on her forehead.

She brushed off his hand and quickly replied with a nervous smile, "It must be the sunrise making me look red and all cause I'm just fine!"

Shikamaru was skeptical but decided to not question her any further. So he decided on saying, "Hn. Well then, let's go."

Ino walked right beside Shikamaru glanced at him again and looked back at the sunset. She realized that it really did feel right, to be with him, to spend moments like those where no words need be spoken, to enjoy watching the sunrise with him. But wait! She couldn't like him now could she? No way! He was nowhere near Sasuke, the guy she raved about a few years back. But then again Sasuke never made her feel the way Shikamaru made her feel. So, could it be? Could it really be? Could she really like Shikamaru? More than she ever liked Sasuke?

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Whoa! So Ino has also realized that she likes Shikamaru too!

So what's going to happen next?

Well, stay tuned to find out!

Don't forget to leave a review! )


	4. Thankful For The Rain

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_Author's Note_: Yeah, another update! Now that our midterms are over, I finally get to make another chap!

_Disclaimer:_ Now, we all know that I don't own Naruto so… yeah.

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_**Chapter 4: Thankful for the Rain**_

Shikamaru opened his eyes and yawned, it was early morning of the third day of their journey and by late afternoon the next day, they were going to arrive at Suna; they were delayed. He exited the small cave they were staying in to find Ino preparing breakfast. It seemed that she had already bathed and so Shikamaru grabbed his bathing essentials and some fresh clothes leaving Ino with an "I'll-be-back-in-a-few-minutes" look when she looked up at him. A stream was conveniently located near their campsite for them to get fresh water so Shikamaru decided to get a quick bath before they set out again.

In camp, Ino was stirring some instant noodles in a small pan that she had brought along with them when she recalled the events that happened the day before.

/Flashback/

It was just past lunchtime and Ino and Shikamaru were moving through the forest towards their destination at a moderate speed. The sun was shining bright just that morning but at around before noon, it became covered with rain clouds. They were expecting a light drizzle and were going to be able to still travel towards Suna but shortly after lunchtime the sky darkened even more. They quickened their pace hoping that the incoming rain wouldn't stop them from traveling. Then, thunder crashed and lightning flashed making Ino wince, she never really did like thunderstorms. And as if those were its cue, the rain began to pour heavily. Shikamaru signaled Ino to move faster for them to find shelter and Ino nodded. After a while, they found a small cave, the cave that they were using now as their camp.

They were soaking wet and because Ino's uniform had no sleeves and bared her midriff, she was shivering. Shikamaru proceeded to make a fire for them to warm themselves up while Ino curled herself up to warm herself. After the fire was made, Shikamaru explored deeper into the cave to check if there were any inhabitants there, leaving Ino alone for a while. She felt slightly warmer thanks to the fire but she couldn't dry herself up because most of her stuff was wet. No, it wasn't because of the rain, their bags were waterproof, it was because her canteen leaked. She had thrown out her canteen and spread out her stuff for them to dry by the fire while Shikamaru had gone. Her chin was resting on her arms, which were crossed over her knees while she stared at the fire when she felt something warm on her shoulders; it was a green towel. She turned around and saw that Shikamaru was the one who placed it around her. She muttered a quick thanks as she looked away to hide her blush while Shikamaru sat down beside her.

"..What about you? I know you're wet and cold too", she said looking at him.

"Tch, it's all right. This chuunin vest is waterproof so I'm not as wet as you think." He replied, staring at the fire.

Hours passed with most of them filled with silence. Once in a while, Ino would initiate a conversation and after a few exchange of words with Shikamaru, silence would come again. The rain had stopped but night had fallen as well so they decided to stay the night there at the cave. Shikamaru had changed into some dry clothes earlier but since Ino's stuff were still wet, he let her borrow his clothes. After dinner, they then both proceeded to head in for the night. But before Ino fell asleep, she realized '_His clothes smell just like him'._

/End/

Ino took out the noodles and placed them into two bowls, one for her and one for Shikamaru. She was wearing her own clothes now. It was then that Shikamaru returned from his quick bath and proceeded to eat from one of the bowls of noodles. As she ate her own breakfast, she looked up at him and smiled as she thought, '_There are some things about you Shikamaru that are more than meets the eye.'_

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Another chapter done. I know it's short but I just had to think of a chapter to cover up their journey.

Read and review please!

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	5. Suna And Temari

**Author's Note:** Nyahahaha! I'm back!

Standard disclaimers apply.

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_**Chapter 5: Suna and Temari**_

The large metal pulleys creaked in complaint as the huge wooden gates were raised to let the visitors in. Shikamaru and Ino had finally arrived in Suna.

Sand flew everywhere making Ino and Shikamaru cover their faces as they waited to enter the village. When the dust began to settle, they cautiously made their way through the gates and just as they did they found the 'welcoming committee' which was led by none other than the Kazekage's sister, Temari.

'_Great, it just had to be her of all people.' _ Shikamaru thought.

"Ah, it's you crybaby!" Temari greeted him with a smirk, then turned to Ino. "Hello, welcome to Suna. I do believe it's your first time here?" Ino nodded. "Well then, do follow me."

Temari led them through the village to a tall building which Ino believed was the Kazekage's tower from the sign that was posted right in front bearing the village's name. True enough, they climbed it up and soon found themselves in front of a dark door on which a metal plate was on that said 'Kazekage'. Temari knocked and said, "Our visitors from Konoha are here." To which a male voice replied, "Let them in."

Inside, Gaara was seated upon a rather neat desk. It seemed that he was quite diligent in finishing paperwork much unlike Konoha's own Hokage. Standing right beside Gaara was Kankurou. Ino assumed he was Gaara's assistant like Shizune to Tsunade.

Both Ino and Shikamaru gave a curt bow in respect to Suna's leader before heading straight to business. Shikamaru handed the package to Kankurou who carefully inspected it before giving it to Gaara.

"Thank you for your service. I shall give my reply in one to two days time. You are dismissed." Gaara said. "Temari, show them their quarters."

"Hai, hai." She replied before turning to them. "Come on, follow me."

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Ino looked outside the small round window of their room to the large tower that loomed right beside where they were staying and gave a sigh.

'_At least it's cool here at night.'_

She turned to the boy lying on the bed beside hers. He was staring at the ceiling, most probably because it was night and there were no clouds to look at that moment. Then she remembered the girl who led them around, what was her name again? Oh, right, Temari.

'_They seem to be pretty close and everything and I do remember seeing them together in Konoha for a couple of times now. Shikamaru isn't one to voluntarily spend time with a girl unless if it was for a mission and what-not. I wonder if the rumors are true. Could they possibly be…?'_

"What? Is something on my face?" Shikamaru drawled.

Ino snapped out of her thoughts. "Huh? What?"

"Troublesome. Nevermind." He sighed.

"Oh. Um, I'm gonna go and take a shower and don't you dare make the mistake of trying to peek on me or you're dead, got it?" she humphed as she grabbed her bathing essentials and some fresh clothes and made her way to the bathroom.

"As if I'd ever peek on _you._" He mumbled.

"I heard that!"

'_Troublesome.'_

The next day…

Temari gave them a tour of Suna. It was actually a rather beautiful place though it had no vegetation much and the architecture of the buildings was very much different from those in Konoha. Even though the village seemed dull because the buildings hardly had much color, the people were rather cheery in contrast.

After walking around the village, Temari brought them to one of Suna's hot springs, famous for how soothing the waters were because they came from an underwater water source and Suna was in the middle of the desert.

Ino and Temari had been in the water for about 15 minutes and they never spoke a word. Well, not until Temari did.

"So how are you finding the hot spring?" Temari asked.

Ino looked up at her and replied with a small smile. "Oh, um, it really is rather soothing. My body was rather worked up from all the travel. Thanks for bringing us here."

"Ahh, that's good. I knew you needed it. Anyway, how are you and the crybaby doing?" Temari smirked upon seeing a light blush creep onto Ino's face.

"Huh!? We aren't -- !" Ino began.

"I never said you guys were anything. I was just asking if both you are doing fine with staying in a village in the middle of the desert." Temari smirked even more when the blush on Ino's face worsened.

"Oh, we're doing great. I mean we are shinobi's. We should learn to adjust to all types of situations." Ino replied haughtily struggling to remove the red that she knew was on her face.

Ino added silently, "How about you and Shikamaru? I mean, you two seem pretty close and everything and I have seen you guys together in Konoha before."

Temari laughed and said, "Yeah, well, a lot of people have asked us about that. Pay no attention to any rumors. Shikamaru is in charge of the Chuunin exams right? Well, I just happen to be Suna's ambassador and he's my escort, that's all. I'm not after him, if that's what you're worried about."

"What!? I don't – " Ino stammered.

"FIRE! FIRE! Everybody get out of the building!" they heard someone shout.

Temari and Ino rushed out of the water and began helping the other women evacuate the building.

"I'll go to the other side and check the situation there." Temari told Ino as she dashed to the men's side of the hot springs.

"What happened?" Temari asked as she ran beside Shikamaru.

"Electrical shortage." Shikamaru replied as he carried an old man piggyback to evacuate him.

"That's the last of them." He said as he put the old man (who thanked him profusely) down on a bench across the hot springs building.

Just as he turned to look at the burning building, he saw Ino carrying a bundle of clothes with one of her arms who began looking around the women she evacuated if any were injured. She was a stark contrast among the women. Her porcelain skin, which was covered only by a towel wrapped around her, looked even fairer with the dark tanned women of Suna surrounding her and her beautiful face was exposed for all eyes to see with her hair under the towel turban on her head. He caught her eye, she blushed and looked away. Then he remembered that he too was only wearing a towel wrapped around his lower body and blushed as well.

Later that day when Ino and Shikamaru had changed into clothes, the ones Ino was carrying in her arms a while ago, Gaara called for them and gave them his reply, a package, one they were to deliver to Tsunade. They were to leave Suna and head back to Konoha at dawn the next day.

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I know, I know insanely late update. Don't kill me! Have mercy!


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